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Pelham Road Library manager says she was forced out of job after Drag Queen Story Hour

The former branch manager of Pelham Road Library issued a statement Friday saying she was forced out of her job.

Julie Phillips told The Greenville News she was no longer an employee of the Greenville Library System as of March 18. Her termination came around the same time that two other branch managers left their jobs following Drag Queen Story Hour, which led to community protests.

Five Forks Library hosted the Drag Queen Story Hour on Feb. 11. Weeks later on March 21, Jonathan Newton, the library's branch manger, said he was no longer employed with the Greenville County Library System.

Phillips on Friday said in a Facebook message to a reporter for The News that she was also forced out of her job.

Her statement:

I have been so touched by the outpouring of love and support from my former colleagues and community at the Greenville County Library System. Over the past ten years, I have dedicated my time and energy to making the library a welcoming place for everyone in the Greenville community. But on Monday, March 18, I was abruptly forced to leave the library and people I loved and served. It has been a shock that I am still trying to process. My heart goes out to everyone left behind as they navigate feelings of fear, uncertainty and loss. I still care deeply about the library, the people who work there and the people they serve. It hurts me to see them hurting, to see in action the adverse effect that Jonathan’s and my exits are already having on the library and community. My hope is that the Board of Trustees will quickly enact a solution that will restore staff morale and put the library on the path to being the community catalyst it was meant to be. In the meantime, I am confident that GCLS staff will continue their diligent pursuit of the library’s mission and their dedicated service to the Greenville community

Members from Our Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in Greenville, a 501c3 that works that bridge the gap between the LGBTQIA+ and straight communities in the Upstate, shows support for the Drag Queen Story Hour event at Five Forks library on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. Elizabeth LaFleur/Staff

Drag Queen story hour was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at Five Forks library on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. Protesters and counter-protesters continue to chant and sing outside the event. Elizabeth LaFleur/Staff

Pastor Mark Burns speaks to protesters gathered outside Drag Queen Story Hour at Five Forks Branch Library Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. Behind him are counter-protestors who gathered in support of the event. SABRINA SCHAEFFER/Staff